Car step and door.



D. B. & L. W. REDDICK,

CAR STEP AND DOOR.

APPLICATION min mAY|s.19n.

Patented Oct 23,1917

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ATTORN EY i L.WBedc5ic D. B. & L. W. REDDICK.

CAR STEP AND DOOR.

APPLICATION mzo MAY 15. 1911.

Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

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CAR STEP AND D008.

APPUCATION FILED, MAY 15. 1917.

1,244,370, Patented Oct. 23,1917.

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STAES ATENT OFFICE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

7 Patented Get. 1915'.

Application filed. May 15, 1917. Serial 0. 168,713.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL BREomoK and LEONARD TV. Reunion, citizens of the United States, residing at Belleville, in the county of Republic and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car Steps and Doors, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to improvements in car steps and doors, and {one of its objects is toprovide a novel construction of first and "second step on each side of the car, together with simple, reliable and efficient means for adjusting the steps sides to present one or .theother of the pairs of steps for use during a tri A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for properly opening and closing the car platform doors with the t p "A still further object is to provide means whereby the doors may be normally disposed in open position when desired and the operating means disconnected therefrom.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had tothe accom- 30" panying drawings in which Figure l is atop plan view of a car platform embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken in the plane of the rack bar.

Fig. 4: is a horizontal section on the line H ofFig. 3. I

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. .6 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 6-6 of. Fig. 2.

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail perspective views illustrating the action of the door opening and closing devices. I

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates generally the platform of the .car, from which depend side walls or aprons 2. At the sides of this'platform are disposed pairs of doors 3 and 4., the doors 3 constituting entrance doors and the doors 4 the exit These doors as shown are of the folding type, but may be of any other suitable type, and the doors 3 and d of each pair are mounted upon. actuating shafts 5 and 6,

through the oscillation, or rocking moveinentsof which they are to be opened and closed. Provision is made, as

hereinafter described, for opening or closing v the doors at either side, independently of the doors at the opposite side,'upori the projection and retraction of the'steps at the designated side, as will be fully hereinafter explained. Y H

Arranged at each side of the platform is a lower step 7 and an 'upperstepS. These steps are adapted to belnioved inwardly and outwardly in unison to proper degrees be neath the adjacent sidewall of apron 2, and are guided in their movements by a hanger bracket 9 composed of vertical side bars 10 secured at their upper ends to theplatform and upper and lower cross bars 11 and 12 bars forming supports for the steps which slide thereon inwardly and outwardly upon said cross bars and between the side bars 19.

The lower step 7 is provided with inwardly extending arms 13 having vertical extensions or arms 14 at their inner ends which are connected by a cross bar 15. The cross bars 15 of the two lower steps are connected by an operating bar 16 extending beneath the car platformand movable through a forward guide stirrup or brack etifixed to the underside of the platform, said bar being provided with rack teeth 18 meshing with a gear 19 onavertical operating shaft 20 extending upwardly through suitable hearings in the platform and provided at its upper end with a. suitable operating handle 21, whereby it maybe actuated by the conductor, motorman or other designated person to slide the bar 1 6 in one direction or the other. Each upper step is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending slotted arms 22 which move through guide members 23 for engagement with [guide pins 24 on the vertical armsl l ofthe lower step, said pins being adapted to engage the end walls of the slots to slide the upper step outwardly and inwardly with the lower step. It will be evident from this construction that these slots provide slide-joint or lost-motion connections between the lower step and the upper step to permit the lower stepto have a greater degree of movement than the upper step, and also to permit the lower step to move a certain degree ineither direction beforeimparting motion to the upper step, such operation adapting the respective steps to be projected to proper degrees for use and also to be withdrawn so as to liewholly extending between said sidebars, said 'cross within the plane of the side wall or apron 2. It will be evident that when the operating bar is moved from a normal position by the rack and pinion gearing in one direction that the steps at one side of the car will be projected for use while the steps at the opposite side of the car will be retracted, the arrangement being such however that when the operating bar is in normal position both sets of steps will be retracted, while on the actuating motion of the bar in one direction to project the steps at one side the lostmotion connection on steps at the opposite side will permit the lower step at that side to be drawn inwardly by the movement of the bar to a position beyond its normal retracted position, so that the steps at each side may be projected and retracted without projecting the steps at the opposite side. It will be evident, of course, that by disconnecting the operating bar from one set of steps, such set of steps may be dispensed with or the other set at all times operated independently thereof, whenever it should be desired to employ a single set of steps at one side of the car only. Journaled upon the underside of the platform are transverse rock shafts Qoand 26, which are respectively adapted for cooperation with the inlet and exit doors. These shafts are provided at each end with laterally extending crank arms 27 terminating in slotted or looped guide arms 28 bent at right angles thereto and disposed in planes parallel with the shafts. These guide loops receive fingers 29 pivotally mounted for vertical movement on the ends of door actuating levers 30 coupled by connecting rods 31 with crank arms 32 on the rock shafts 5 and 6 of the adjacent doors. The fingers 29 normally, lie in close proximity to the lower surfaces of the slotted or looped arms 28 and are adapted to be lifted to an elevated position by rocking movements of the shaft, so as to throw the fingers into and out of the path of operating devices 33 on the cross bars of the adjacent lower steps. The door actuating levers 30 are movable between the stop surfaces on guiding and locking plates 35, which are provided with notches 36, into which the levers are normally pressed by suitable springs 37, whereby said levers are held locked in door closing position, to obviate any liability of accidental opening of the doors when they are intended to be closed. This locking connection also adapts either set of side doors to be held'loclred in closed posit-ion when said doors are out of use and the doors at the opposite side are alone used, as will be readily understood.

Each operating device 33 comprises a box-like body open at its inner side to receive the cooperating finger 29 and having at its forward end an entrance and exit slot 88, disposed below a projecting cam plate 39, having an upturned or convex lower surface and a concaved upper surface. When the lower step to which a pair of these operating devices 33 is attached is moved outwardly, the lower faces of the plates 39 come in contact with and depress the finger 29 of the adjacent door actuating levers downwardly, thus depressing the levers out of looking engagement with the notches 36, and as the step continues its outward movement the fingers are engaged by the rear walls of the chambered operating devices and moved forwardly in the slotted guides 28, whereby upon the projection of the steps the door actuating shafts will be operated through the cooperating lever mechanisms to swing the doors at that side to open position. When, on the other hand, the doors are retracted the fingers come in contact with the front walls of the box-like operating devices and are shifted rearwardly to retract the door actuating levers and close the doors, thefingersbeing held depressed by the plates 39 untillthey are fully retracted and the operating devices move out of engagement therewith, whereupon the levers are again forced upwardly into engagement with the notches 3G by the actuating springs to look the doors in closed position.

The door actuating mechanism may be thrown out of operation at any time by means of sliding push pins i0 and etl each normally held elevated by a spring 420, said pins being movable downwardly through openings in the platform and connected with cranks 25 and26 on the shafts and 26, whereby the slotted arms of said rock shafts may be elevated to lift the pivoted fingers out of the path of movement of the cam plates 39, thus allowing the steps to be projected and retracted without affect ing the doors, the fingers simply riding loosely over the concavedupper surfaces of the cam plates as will be readily understood. The push pins may be respectively locked in depressed condition by means of 'suitable catches ac and ll the springs 40 assisting to hold them in such position against accidental displacement; and suitable latches or fastenings %2 maybe pro vided to hold the doors open when desired. It is to be understood that if it should be desired to release the doors from their actuating devices and keep them locked open for any period, this may be done by actuating the levers to move the steps in an outward direction, whereby the cam plate comes I in contact with and depresses the fingers 29, thus releasing the actuating levers from their locking notches, the steps continuing to move outward until the actuating levers are entirely clear of the locking notches.

Then by pressing the push pins downward and withdrawing the steps, the slotted and looped guide arms will be elevated, releasing fingers 29 from operating device 33,

allowing the doors to be folded and fastened It will be seen from the foregoing description that the invention provides a novel construction of steps and means for operating the same, whereby a simple, positive and reliable operation of the steps may be secured, and whereby steps of the kind set forth may be constructed and installed at comparatively low cost. It will also be seen that the invention provides doors which may be automatically opened and closed with the steps, and through the direct action of the steps thereon. Other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the foregoing description.

We claim 1. The combination with a car body, of a pair of superposed steps for each side of the car, a direct connection between the lower steps at the opposite sides of the car for simultaneously projecting one step and retracting the other step, and means actuated by each lower step for projecting and retracting the upper step in unison therewith.

2. The combination with a car body, of a pair of superposed steps at each'side of the car, a direct connection between the lower steps for simultaneously projecting one lower step and retracting the other, and a sliding connection between each upper step and the cooperating lower step embodying abutting surfaces for moving each upper step inwardly or outwardly with its companion lower step through a lesser range of movement than the lower step to properly position the respective steps.

3. The combination with a car body, of a pair of superposed steps for each side of the car, a direct connection between the, lower steps at the opposite sides of the car for simultaneously projecting one lower step and retracting the other lower step, a sliding connection between each upper step and its companion lower step whereby each lower step in its movements'will project and retract the companion upper step, and means for limiting the movements of the upper step with respect to the lower step.

4. The combination with a car body, of a pair of superposed steps for each side of the car, a rack bar connecting the lower steps for simultaneously projecting one lower step and retracting the other lower step, means for operating said rack bar, and a sliding connection between each upper step and its companion lower step for positively projecting and retracting each upper step with its companion lower step to different degrees for properly positioning the respective steps.

5. The combination with a car body, of guide frames including cross bars at the opposite sides of the car body, depending aprons between the car body and upper portions of said frames, a pair of superposed steps slidably mounted in each frame, means upon each upper step for engagement with a cross bar to limit its outward movement, a connection between the lower steps for simultaneously projecting one and retracting the other, and a sliding connection between each lower step and its companion upper step for projecting and retracting the upper step with the lower step, said connection being adapted for adjusting the upper step to a lesser degree than the lower step to properly position the respective steps.

6. The combination with a car body, of a pair of superposed steps for each side of the car body, doors at the sides of the car body, means for simultaneously projecting one set of steps at one side of the car body and retracting the other set of steps at the opposite side of the car body, and means operated by adjustment of the steps for opening and closing the doors.

7. The combination with a car body, of swinging doors at the opposite sides of the car body, a pair of sliding steps for each side of the car body, each set of steps con- DANIEL B. REDDICK. LEONARD W. REDDICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

